By
DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota volleyball coach
Jackie Kiecker was hoping her Cardinals could gain some positive momentum from Wednesday's match against UW-La Crosse — the last of nine straight road matches, and their last nonconference contest of the season — heading into the conference's two-week stretch run.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals were unable to find that much-needed momentum, struggling to overcome a slow start in dropping a 3-1 decision to the Eagles at Mitchell Hall.
The Cardinals dug themselves into a 2-0 hole with 25-22 and 25-19 losses in the first two sets against the Eagles. Saint Mary's rallied with 25-21 win in the third set, only to have UW-La Crosse seal the win by outlasting the Cardinals 25-23 in set No. 4.
Gloria Kitange (Rochester, Minn.) and
Brandi Blattner (Eyota, Minn.) led the Cardinals' offensive attack, with Kitange delivering a team-high 16 kills — one more than Blattner — while also hitting a team-high .406.
Lillian Braun (Mantorville, Minn.) dished out 38 assists and added 16 digs for her team-leading 11
th double-double.
DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.) collected a team-best 22 digs, with
Hayley Weber (Gladbrook, Iowa) chipping in 13, while
Grace Gilles (Apple Valley, Minn.) accounted for three of the team's five service aces.
Marisa Johnson posted a match-high 23 kills to lead four players in double figures for the Eagles. Liz Lansink recorded 14 kills, and Emma Lawrence and Kathryn Maas each added 10. Abby Fox picked up 53 assists and Johnson and Julia Van Fleet recorded 29 and 21 digs, respectively.
The Cardinals (12-11 overall) return home for the first of four straight matches at the Saint Mary's Gym on Friday, hosting Hamline in a 7 p.m. Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match.
